Founding Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Founding Product Designer

Company: Clera

Location: New York, New York, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations Enablement

Date Posted: August 06, 2026

Experience Level: 5+ Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the foundational product design strategy for an AI-native fintech company, focusing on global business identity and compliance (KYB).

• Drive the complete design lifecycle, from initial ideation and information architecture to final implementation, establishing a robust design system from inception.

• Collaborate directly with co-founders and engineering teams to translate complex regulatory workflows into intuitive and effortless user experiences.

• Define and cultivate a design-driven culture, processes, and values within a fast-paced, seed-stage startup environment.

• Own the end-to-end product experience, ensuring immediate and visible impact on core business objectives and customer satisfaction.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "Founding Product Designer," indicating a critical, early-stage contribution to the company's product vision and execution. The emphasis on "zero-to-one" and "end-to-end ownership" suggests a need for a proactive, strategic, and hands-on individual who can establish design as a core functional discipline. This directly aligns with GTM Operations enablement by ensuring the product itself is designed for user adoption, efficiency, and compliance, which are critical for sales and customer success.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the entire design lifecycle for Clera's platform, with an initial strategic emphasis on defining and optimizing data information architecture for regulatory compliance.

• Partner intimately with product management, engineering, and executive leadership to conceptualize and deliver intuitive, agentic user experiences tailored for complex regulatory and compliance challenges.

• Architect and establish the company's comprehensive design language and scalable design system, including the development of a foundational component library.

• Play a pivotal role in shaping the design function as a discipline, including the establishment of best-practice processes, selection of essential tooling, definition of core values, and fostering a strong design-driven culture.

• Engage directly with customers through user research, interviews, and usability testing to validate design hypotheses and iterate on experiences that streamline business onboarding and verification processes.

• Translate complex regulatory requirements and business logic into user-friendly interfaces and workflows that support compliance and operational efficiency.

• Ensure design decisions are data-informed, leveraging user feedback and analytics to drive continuous improvement and measurable impact.

• Contribute to the overall product strategy by advocating for user-centered design principles and identifying opportunities for innovation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a need for deep involvement in foundational elements – design systems, information architecture, and process establishment. This is crucial for GTM success as it directly impacts user adoption, sales enablement materials, and customer support efficiency by providing a clear, intuitive product. The focus on regulatory and compliance domains means the designer must translate complex rules into actionable, user-friendly features, directly supporting sales in communicating value and customers in achieving compliance.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience demonstrating a strong foundation in design principles.

Experience: 5+ years of dedicated product design experience, with a proven track record in B2B SaaS environments and a significant portfolio showcasing end-to-end product design and measurable impact.

Required Skills:

• Extensive experience in end-to-end product design, encompassing research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and final implementation handoff.

• Demonstrated success in designing complex B2B SaaS products, with a particular emphasis on translating intricate regulatory, compliance, or highly technical processes into intuitive user experiences.

• A strong portfolio featuring detailed case studies that clearly articulate the design process, challenges faced, solutions implemented, and quantifiable positive impact on user behavior and business metrics.

• Advanced proficiency with industry-standard design and prototyping tools, specifically Figma, or equivalent platforms such as Sketch or InVision, for rapid iteration and seamless design-to-development handoffs.

• Exceptional collaboration and communication skills, with a proven ability to work effectively and build strong relationships with cross-functional teams including engineers, product managers, founders, and directly with customers.

• Experience in defining and implementing design languages and scalable design systems, including the creation of component libraries.

• Ability to thrive in ambiguous, fast-paced startup environments and drive initiatives from conception to completion. Preferred Skills:

• Prior experience contributing to or leading the development and ownership of comprehensive design systems and component libraries.

• Experience in designing AI-enabled product features and integrating AI agents or agentic experiences into user flows to enhance functionality and user engagement.

• Proven ability to work effectively in early-stage startup environments, demonstrating adaptability and a proactive approach to ambiguity.

• Familiarity with fintech products, regulatory technology (RegTech), or Know Your Business (KYB) processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "dealbreaker" for 5+ years of experience and the requirement for end-to-end case studies emphasize the need for a seasoned designer. The focus on B2B SaaS, regulatory/compliance domains, and AI integration points to specific technical and industry knowledge that will be crucial for this role's success. This aligns with the need for a designer who can build a product that is not only user-friendly but also meets strict industry standards, directly supporting sales and compliance efforts.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Comprehensive case studies showcasing the complete product design lifecycle for at least two distinct B2B SaaS products or complex features, detailing problem identification, user research, design iterations, and final outcomes.

• Specific examples demonstrating the translation of complex regulatory or compliance requirements into simplified, intuitive user interfaces and workflows.

• Evidence of establishing or significantly contributing to a design system, including examples of component libraries, style guides, and their impact on design consistency and development efficiency.

• Metrics and quantifiable data illustrating the measurable impact of your design decisions on user engagement, conversion rates, task completion times, or reduction in compliance errors.

• Demonstrations of rapid prototyping capabilities and effective design handoff processes to engineering teams, highlighting collaboration and efficiency. Process Documentation:

• Examples of how you have established or refined design processes within a team or company, including workflow documentation for ideation, user testing, and design critiques.

• Documentation or examples of your approach to building and maintaining design systems, including version control, contribution guidelines, and integration with development workflows.

• Case studies that detail the implementation of AI-driven design features or the integration of AI agents into user experiences, showcasing the process from concept to deployment.

• Process flows and documentation illustrating customer collaboration strategies, including user interview protocols, feedback collection mechanisms, and iterative design loops.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "end-to-end product design and measurable impact" in the portfolio requirement is critical. For a founding role, this means demonstrating not just aesthetic skill but strategic thinking, process establishment, and a results-oriented approach. This directly translates to how well the product will be received by potential clients and how effectively sales and customer success teams can articulate its value and ease of use.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $180,000 – $220,000 USD annually.

Benefits:

• Early-stage equity opportunity: Significant stock options as a founding team member, offering substantial long-term financial upside.

• High-impact, high-ownership role: Direct influence on product direction, company culture, and business strategy from day one.

• Direct access to leadership: Close working relationships with co-founders, providing unparalleled learning and mentorship opportunities.

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.

• Generous paid time off (PTO) policy.

• Professional development budget for conferences, training, and relevant certifications.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 hours per week), with the expectation of flexibility and dedication common in a fast-paced startup environment. The on-site nature in New York encourages collaborative working sessions during core business hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is competitive for a senior, founding-level product design role in New York City. The inclusion of "early-stage equity" is a significant component for founding team members, offering a substantial stake in the company's future success. This, combined with high-impact and direct access to leadership, signifies a role with significant potential for both professional growth and financial reward, attractive to individuals looking to build something from the ground up and influence its trajectory.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Fintech (Financial Technology), specifically focusing on AI-native solutions for Global Business Identity and Compliance (KYB - Know Your Business).

Company Size: Seed-stage startup, implying a small, highly agile, and collaborative team environment where individual contributions are highly visible and impactful. This means fewer layers of management and direct influence on strategic decisions.

Founded: Clera is a nascent company, founded recently with the explicit goal of leveraging AI to revolutionize business identity verification and compliance. This suggests a culture focused on innovation, rapid iteration, and challenging established norms in the RegTech space.

Team Structure:

• The core team consists of co-founders and a small group of early engineers and designers.

• This role will be integral to the founding team, working directly with co-founders and engineering leads on product strategy and execution.

• Expect a flat organizational structure with open communication channels and cross-functional collaboration as the primary mode of operation.

• The design function is being established from scratch, offering a unique opportunity to shape its structure and processes. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Product Development: Emphasis on leveraging data, AI, and user feedback to inform product decisions and drive continuous improvement.

• Agile & Iterative Design: A fast-paced approach to product development, prioritizing rapid prototyping, user testing, and iterative refinement of features and user experiences.

• Customer-Centricity: Direct engagement with customers to understand their needs, challenges, and workflows, ensuring the product solves real-world problems effectively.

• Design System Foundation: A commitment to building a scalable, consistent, and efficient design system from the ground up to support rapid product expansion and maintain brand integrity.

Company Website: https://www.getclera.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: As a seed-stage company, Clera's culture is likely to be highly dynamic, emphasizing speed, innovation, and a strong sense of shared mission. The "AI-native" aspect suggests a forward-thinking approach to technology adoption. For operations professionals, this means the product design will be fundamental to how efficiently sales can onboard clients, how effectively customer success can support them, and how smoothly compliance can be managed, all of which are critical for GTM success.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a "Founding" level position, akin to a Principal or Lead Designer in a more established company, but with the added responsibility of establishing the design function entirely. It's a strategic, hands-on role with significant autonomy and influence.

Reporting Structure: The Founding Product Designer will report directly to one of the co-founders, likely the CEO or CTO, ensuring direct access to strategic decision-making and executive leadership.

Operations Impact: The product design directly enables GTM operations by creating an intuitive, compliant, and efficient platform. This impacts sales conversion rates (ease of use, clear value proposition), customer onboarding efficiency, customer retention (positive user experience), and reduces the burden on support and compliance teams. A well-designed product is a core GTM asset.

Growth Opportunities:

• Establish and Scale the Design Function: Grow into a Head of Design or VP of Design role as the company scales, building and managing a design team.

• Deep Expertise in Fintech & AI: Develop specialized knowledge in AI-driven compliance solutions, becoming a thought leader in the RegTech space.

• Strategic Product Influence: Continue to shape the product roadmap and company strategy with a user-centered perspective, influencing business direction.

• Leadership Development: Gain experience in building team culture, mentoring junior designers, and driving design operations within a high-growth startup.

• Significant Equity Upside: Benefit from the potential exponential growth of a successful early-stage company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Founding" title implies a significant opportunity for career acceleration. The ability to build a design function from scratch, coupled with direct exposure to executive leadership and strategic decision-making, offers a unique growth trajectory not typically found in larger organizations. This is particularly valuable for operations-minded individuals who want to influence product strategy from its inception, thereby impacting all GTM functions.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is an on-site role based in New York, NY, indicating a physical office space where collaboration and in-person interaction are expected.

Office Location(s): New York, NY. Specific office details are not provided, but it will be a central location facilitating team collaboration.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The on-site nature fosters spontaneous collaboration, brainstorming sessions, and direct feedback loops between design, engineering, and product teams, crucial for rapid iteration.

• Tooling & Technology: Access to necessary design software (Figma), prototyping tools, and potentially other collaboration platforms that will be established as part of the design function.

• Team Interaction: Frequent opportunities to engage with co-founders, engineers, and potentially early customers in a dynamic and fast-paced setting. The environment is expected to be high-energy and focused on rapid execution.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time business hours (likely aligned with Eastern Time Zone) are expected, with the inherent flexibility and dedication required in a startup environment. The emphasis on collaboration suggests core working hours will be important for team alignment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in New York emphasizes the company's commitment to fostering a cohesive team culture and facilitating the intensive collaboration needed at the seed stage. For operations, this means a structured environment where processes can be defined and implemented effectively through direct interaction, leading to better alignment between product design and GTM execution.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio by the hiring team to assess alignment with the role's requirements and experience level.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A dedicated session to walk through your portfolio, focusing on case studies that demonstrate end-to-end product design, problem-solving, and measurable impact, particularly in B2B SaaS and complex domains. Expect deep dives into your design process, decision-making rationale, and collaboration style.

• Technical/Design Challenge: Potentially a take-home assignment or a live design exercise to assess your approach to a specific problem relevant to Clera's domain (e.g., information architecture for compliance data, designing an agentic workflow).

• Founder/Team Interviews: Meetings with co-founders and key engineering/product team members to assess cultural fit, strategic thinking, communication skills, and alignment with Clera's vision and values.

• Final Round: A concluding interview, possibly with the full founding team, to discuss role expectations, growth opportunities, and address any final questions.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Impact: Select 3-4 of your strongest case studies that best represent your experience in B2B SaaS, complex domains (regulatory/compliance/technical), and end-to-end ownership.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed, the design decisions you made, the challenges you overcame, and the quantifiable results achieved.

• Highlight Process & Rationale: Be prepared to discuss your design thinking, why you made specific choices, and how you collaborated with stakeholders.

• Showcase Design System Work: If you have experience building or contributing to design systems, dedicate specific slides or sections to this, detailing its structure and impact.

• Demonstrate AI Integration (if applicable): If you have experience with AI-enabled features, clearly explain the user problem solved and the resulting user experience.

• Focus on Measurable Outcomes: Quantify your impact wherever possible. Use metrics, data, and user feedback to support your claims.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Research Clera, the fintech industry, RegTech, and KYB processes. Understand the core challenges of business identity verification and compliance.

• Information Architecture Focus: Given the emphasis on information architecture, be ready to think about how to structure complex data sets for clarity and usability.

• Agentic Experience Design: Consider how AI can be leveraged to create proactive, intelligent user experiences that reduce user effort.

• Problem-Solving Approach: Be prepared to articulate a structured approach to problem-solving, starting with understanding the user and business context, exploring solutions, and iterating based on feedback.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio review with "case studies showing end-to-end product design and measurable impact" is paramount. For a founding role, this isn't just about showcasing design skills but demonstrating strategic thinking, process establishment capabilities, and a results-oriented mindset that can directly contribute to GTM success by creating a product that sells and supports itself.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The primary tool for UI design, wireframing, prototyping, and collaborative design sessions. Proficiency is essential for rapid iteration and comprehensive design handoffs.

• Sketch/InVision (or equivalent): Familiarity with alternative design and prototyping tools may be beneficial, indicating adaptability and a broad understanding of the design tool landscape.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma's capabilities, experience with dedicated prototyping tools for more advanced interactions or user testing scenarios.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Analytics Platforms: Experience with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics to track user behavior, measure feature adoption, and identify areas for design improvement.

• A/B Testing Tools: Familiarity with platforms that facilitate experimentation to validate design hypotheses and optimize user flows based on data.

CRM & Automation:

• Familiarity with CRM concepts: While not a direct design tool, understanding how CRM systems (like Salesforce, HubSpot) operate and how product design impacts sales and customer success workflows is beneficial.

• Project Management Tools: Experience with tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for managing design tasks, tracking progress, and collaborating with engineering teams on implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core requirement is proficiency in Figma. However, for a founding role, a broader understanding of the design tool ecosystem and an ability to integrate design outputs with development and analytics platforms are crucial. This ensures seamless adoption and impact, supporting sales and customer success by providing data-backed insights into user behavior and product effectiveness.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & AI-First: A commitment to leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to solve complex problems in business identity and compliance, driving efficiency and user experience.

• Ownership & Accountability: A culture where individuals take full responsibility for their work, driving initiatives from conception to successful execution, with a strong emphasis on delivering measurable results.

• Customer-Centricity: A deep focus on understanding and addressing customer needs, ensuring the product provides significant value and solves real-world challenges in business onboarding and verification.

• Collaboration & Transparency: An environment that encourages open communication, cross-functional teamwork, and shared decision-making, fostering a strong sense of collective purpose.

• Bias for Action: A preference for moving quickly, iterating, and learning from experimentation in a fast-paced startup setting.

Collaboration Style:

• Direct & Frequent Interaction: Expect constant collaboration with co-founders, engineers, and potentially early customers. Design decisions will be made collaboratively and iteratively.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Design is not siloed; it's deeply integrated with product and engineering from the outset, influencing strategy and execution.

• Feedback-Driven: An open culture for providing and receiving constructive feedback, essential for rapid improvement and alignment across the team.

• Process Development: A willingness to collaboratively define and refine processes as the company grows, particularly in establishing design workflows and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values of innovation, ownership, and customer-centricity are key. For operations, this translates to a product that is built with a clear understanding of user needs and business impact, facilitating easier sales conversations, smoother onboarding, and better customer retention. The collaborative style ensures alignment across all departments.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing Design from Scratch: Building a design function, process, and system in a seed-stage company requires significant initiative, strategic thinking, and the ability to create order from ambiguity.

• Translating Complex Domains: Designing intuitive user experiences for highly regulated and technical areas like KYB and fintech compliance presents a significant intellectual challenge.

• Balancing Speed and Quality: The startup environment demands rapid iteration, which can sometimes conflict with the need for thorough design exploration and rigorous user testing.

• Defining AI-Powered Experiences: Designing truly effective and user-friendly AI-enabled features requires innovative thinking and a deep understanding of both user needs and AI capabilities.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Foundational Impact: The opportunity to build a design function from the ground up, setting the stage for future growth and establishing personal leadership credentials.

• Specialized Industry Expertise: Deep dive into the intersection of AI, fintech, and regulatory compliance, becoming a subject matter expert.

• Strategic Leadership: Direct involvement in product and company strategy, offering invaluable experience in high-level decision-making.

• Mentorship from Founders: Learning directly from experienced entrepreneurs in a high-growth environment.

• Equity Growth: The potential for significant financial reward through early-stage equity as the company scales.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge and growth opportunity lie in the "founding" nature of the role. Successfully navigating the ambiguity, establishing robust design processes, and contributing strategically to a nascent company's product vision offers unparalleled professional development and impact, directly benefiting GTM operations through a well-designed, market-ready product.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your approach to establishing a design system from scratch in a seed-stage company. What are the key components and priorities?" (Focus on scalability, modularity, and integration with development.)

• "How would you approach designing an 'agentic' user experience for a complex regulatory compliance workflow? Walk us through your process." (Emphasize understanding user intent, AI capabilities, and feedback loops.)

• "Given the challenges of translating complex B2B regulations into intuitive interfaces, what methodologies would you employ to ensure clarity and ease of use for our users?" (Highlight user research, iterative prototyping, and simplification techniques.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you excited about Clera's mission and the opportunity to be our founding product designer?" (Connect your passion to fintech, AI, and building from zero-to-one.)

• "How do you envision fostering a design-driven culture within a fast-paced engineering-focused startup?" (Discuss collaboration, advocacy, and demonstrating design's value.)

• "How do you measure the success of your design work, particularly in a B2B SaaS context with compliance implications?" (Focus on user engagement, task completion, error reduction, and business impact metrics.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin with a brief overview of your design philosophy and approach, then dive into 2-3 curated case studies.

• Narrative Flow: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your specific role, the constraints, your process, key decisions, and the quantifiable outcomes. Use visuals effectively.

• Emphasize End-to-End Ownership: Highlight your involvement from initial concept through to post-launch iteration and impact measurement.

• Showcase System Thinking: Clearly present any design system work, explaining its architecture, benefits, and how it was implemented.

• Discuss Collaboration: Be ready to talk about how you worked with engineers, product managers, and stakeholders to achieve your design goals.

• Prepare for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your design rationale, problem-solving strategies, and how you handled specific challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not just design skill but strategic thinking, process establishment capability, and a deep understanding of B2B SaaS and complex domains. For a founding role, the ability to articulate a vision for design and its impact on the business, particularly GTM functions, is crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to specifically highlight 2-3 case studies demonstrating end-to-end product design for B2B SaaS products, ideally in technical or regulatory domains. Emphasize your process, problem-solving, and measurable impact.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 5+ years of experience, focusing on achievements related to product design strategy, design systems, and user experience optimization in complex environments. Integrate keywords like "B2B SaaS," "regulatory compliance," "information architecture," and "Figma."

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, rationale, and how you establish and scale design functions. Prepare to discuss your understanding of Clera's mission and the challenges of designing for AI-native fintech compliance.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Clera, its mission, the fintech/RegTech landscape, and the importance of KYB. Understand how a strong product design directly supports sales, customer success, and overall GTM strategy by enabling user adoption and compliance.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.